I Discovered the BEST Way to Cook Picanha 

Listening to Max say CHURRASCO made my day! Let us know on the comments what me and Max should cook next!

We only use “sal grosso” when cooking churrasco, rarely with herbs and other stuff. Just coarse salt over fire, not on the pan. Before serving some people hit the meat (little taps) to remove the excess salt prior to serving. The pointy thing is called “espeto”

max, in Brazil, we eat picanha with farofa (cassava flour fried with spices) rice, and pinto beans, chimichuri is an Argentinian thing, although it's delightful

We need a competition between guga and Max to who is truly the meat king

Chimichurri is an Argentina season. Brasil keeps only the "rocky" salt. Chimichurri is pretty nice, but if you want a brazilian experience, just the salt! If you want some extra seasoning, you can do a brazilian farofa to eat with it (you dip the meat in the farofa and eat it, dont throw over the meat)! Potato mayonese salad is pretty common in brazilian churrascos also! And for god sake, dont forget the beer! And to get perfect, call your friends, do it all outside, with some music!

Max: "You are the Picanha master" Guga: "Of course!" I love Guga's honesty

Just a reminders, on Brazil we have many ways to cook picanha, including pan-seared and brisket like, we also use pressure cookers, slow cookers, roasted on oven, even fried on it's own fat, the churrasco style is the most traditional and most common style, but you should ask Guga later for the other methods since I believe he can show more.

I love how much collabs Guga does, he seems like a really fun person to hang out with.

here in brazil, picanha is the most expensive meat you will find, and it's everyone's favourite, we prepare it directly on the coals to toast it well, but we don't smoke it, I myself have never seen a smoked barbecue, and don't worry, your grill is ok, here we made our grills with bricks, wood, stones, earth and a lot of other things, and allways works

Great episode Max. I live in a Latin American country where beef is butchered completely differently from how it is in the US. Picanha is readily available here and now I know how to attempt to cook it. (Unfortunately “national” meat doesn’t have the fat content or taste that I grew up with back home, but I’m learning to adjust). Thanks again.

Summary was generated by Summatim, let us know if there are any inaccuracies! 🤖 0:01: Introduction 0:28: What is Picanha? 1:28: Trimming the Picanha 3:15: Cooking Picanha like a Brisket 5:35: Pan-Searing Picanha 7:53: Traditional Churrasco Style 12:01: Testing the Brisket 13:16: Overview 13:31: Cooked like a brisket method

Guga: "If this is your first time cooking picanha, you should cook it the traditional way" Max: "Yeah I'm gonna do the opposite"

Awesome vid, Max! I've seen Guga make this cut a bunch and now you. I've never had it before but I feel like now I have to try it... Churrasco style!

Thank you for doing this. Picanha is my favourite steak by far. Love it grilled or seared on a pan. Never thought of cooking it like a brisket, though. It’s nice to see different cultures introducing new methods of cooking Picanha. I’m all in for it. Just a quick side note: chimi churri is actually from Argentina and Uruguai. Some people in the far south of Brazil also have it traditionally but, for the most part, Brazilians don’t associate churrasco with chimi churri, let alone eating it with Picanha. Congrats, mate.

here in Brazil most of "churrasqueiros" I know don't use salt that coarse anymore, it used to be the only option after iodized super thin table salt, but with parrilla salt becoming more common, most have moved from coarse salt to granulated salt (parrilla salt), I basically only use fully coarse salt for slow cooked ribs, it's done over charcoal, but following the same principles of a brisket, 4 to 6 hours on low heat, covered with several layers of aluminium foil, on a skew or on the grill, but on direct fire(ish... we keep it far from the fire), the last 30min we remove all the cover and let it develop a crust and it's done... it isn't as smokey as brisket, but it is very tender and has a very beefy deep taste with the charcoal on top... you should try... and Guga too, never seen him do the classic Brazilian ribs (well, there's 'fogo de chão', which is an even more traditional way of doing it with an entire rib wall on large skews stuck on the ground and whole logs burning around on the floor)

Make sure to only include up to the third vein (roughly 1KG). Anything past that in Brazil is called coxao duro which is much tougher than the rest of the picanha.

As a butcher, thanks for the shout out for the trade! Feels very underappreciated at times.

Guga and max are just two of the most wholesome chefs on RU-vid

I'm about to dry brine one for tomorrow for grand final day ( go the pies) I'll be doing it brisket style as it's very low grade. I often smoke pretty decent ones and pull them at 150f......highly recommend. Cheers for the video

Max I love your vids! thanks for being a great youtuber and keep putting out great content! 💯

Great video man! It’s good fun to see an América experimenting with the Brazilian cuisine. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Been seeing a lot of post of alpine glad to hear you use them as a source, I might try order one day

Liking the new editing, keep the good work my man.

The way you edit the video is crazy!! i love it

I love how theres no comparison it's a contribution thing we can watch both channels.

Max stumbled across your vid while trying to decide how to cook my first pichana, when you mentioned respecting butchering it for me think when are we going to see a @beardedbutchers/you video.

Great video Max! Keep it up 🔥

New sub here, but fan from Guga's channel... Now an insta-fan because of Tibby. Orange Tabby's have graced my home for many years, and on top of it, I love learning about how to smoke and cook meats in different ways. Tibby I can guarantee lives a great life!!! Now I need to try picanha for the first time! Oh and wagyu... But picanha because of how much Guga and you rave about the tenderness and flavor!

It’s amazing how close together all of the cooking channels on RU-vid are

6:50 for picanha on the pan, also try pan frying it without salt, then when it’s ready just slice it and use flower of salt. Delicious

You should come to Brazil, Max! Love your content

@MaxTheMeatGuy Dude! Thank you so much for the meat plug, the prices are incredibly reasonable for the quality. As little as 20 bucks for prime picanha, 12 bucks for prime denver steaks, and free shipping over 100 bucks is absolute INSANITY. I used to use Porter & York out of Washington which I thought was amazing. Their prime picanhas went for 35 bucks and did free 2 day air shipping for anything over 140 bucks *in the beginning *. By halfway through Covid, they went up to 55 bucks, were almost always sold out, and didn't ship free for Ny less than 400 bucks! I live in central CT so Alpine Butcher is a serious blessing. I couldn't be happier, thank you brotha 🤙

Whenever picanha is mentioned, I always look to the comments for a Guga reference. It's always there. Guga and picanha are synonymous.

Thank you for posting this video 🎉. You have a new subscriber. Keep up the great work 🎉. I have never heard of this kind of steak 🥩. But I’m drying to try it now 🎉. Have a great day.

Aussie MS5-9+ Wagyu Picanha is amazing, I occasionally get a whole one and cut it up into steaks. The tip section that is too small for steaks I dice up into decent size cubes and make Massaman Beef Curry with it, it's absolutely amazing.

For a second i thought the video caption said how to cook a piranha

3 parts sweet paprika, 1 part garlic powder and 1 part onion powder. Sear fat on 250 Celsius then furn and cook meat at 200 Celsius until internal temp 59 degrees Celsius

For anyone wondering why the wagyu looked less juicy than the prime. It's because wagyu fat is a different type of fat and renders out at a lower temp. From memory cooking to around 180f is ideal when smoking wagyu.

You’ve outdone yourself again max, well done 👍

Hey Max! Quick question for you. I love marinating steak but I don’t have a grill. I love cooking in my cast iron. How do I get a good sear on a marinated steak? I don’t use oil because the marinade I do already has some avocado oil in it. The heat is as high as can go. But after a while the steak just kinda boils in its own juices and I can’t get a crust. Thank you so much for your videos it has really got me working in steak more to my meal prepping!

Love the content max

Luv the vids man, it’s been awesome watching the account grow so much

So nice to see Guga getting the recognition he deserves. Dude is the god of meats

My brother did a year of HS back in the 90s in Brazil. The food info he brought back was has been amazing.

Max think herb holiday roast. Season up a Pichana in this form add heavy black pepper to it as well as MSG. The herb butter method works if you replace it with olive oil. Anyway try a Pichana of any grade this way smoked to around 200 degrees turning the smoker up right at the end to get a crispier exterior. I doubt your disappointed in the flavor then.

You are my favorite youtuber, keep it up

I’ve made picana a dozen times and my favorite by far is low and slow but only up to 125. I cube fat cap and sear it on the finish. It’s perfect mid rare throughout and the flavor is 100/10. Making one today.

Hi max, I cook a lot of picanha for my family and just want to share the way I do it, maybe you guys pull out a crazy idea out of it. I smoke the whole picanha over apple wood low and slow until 135 then I sear of the fat cap un cast iron (to give it a crispy bite), then rest for 30 min. It is absolutely fire!!!

your vids are the best

Just picked me up two A5 ribeyes from Alphine. I've never had Japanese Wagyu before, I'm super excited! Can't wait to try them.

Whomever edited this had a lot of fun! :)

Ngl the samuraï one made me salivate when you sliced it, i wish i could taste some so bad🤤 i felt that heartbreak when she said wait! 😅

Lmao max looked so sad/upset when he was told to wait for the brisket picanha

Great video, but the traditional way (in Southern Brazil at least, which is known for their Churrasqueiros) is cooking on a grill without those sticks for those are for small meats like chicken hearts, sausages, chicken wings and thighs while those fancy sticks are used only in Big Restaurants (sorry for bad English).

I NEED one of these!

Max, im from Brazil, i love yours videos man

I love watching guy make all this good neat while I’m eating pizza rolls for breakfast lunch and dinner

Thank you for The video

In denmark we cook the pichaha (we Call it culotte) like a brisket but to medium rate and Cut against the grain. You Sear it first so the entire Cut has a good crust.

Max the type of guy to say " I needed this" while hanging out and laughing with friends

Chimichurri is not brazilian! You might see it occasionally, but it's an import from Uruguay/Argentina and not part of traditional barbecue. On the rock salt, you're supposed to beat/shake it off the meat before serving. Some people enjoy a little salty crunch though! There is not point using it for steaks though, since the idea is that it will melt with the heat of the coals - for pan-seared you can go for finer salt.

Hyped everytime this man posts

It's a good 1st try on the espeto, as we call it, but you should try to make it inside the meat, so it stay hidden, mostly for presentation purposes

You can also go low and slow and finish the picanha at 120degrees. Actually my preferred way as I do not have a sword, but you still cook it for an hour allowing it to properly render and get some nice fire on it.

shoe hass co - say hass like you do with hass avocado the wife is Brasilian. ive been a little scared of the Picanha since i moved down here, but seeing this makes me wanna start trying it. well done.

Max, what temp did you have your camp chef at please? You Don't say in the video what you've set it at and it's not in the description.

Thank you for the education on this cut of beef.

Have you ever tried pecan wood? It’s so aromatic and not overpowering or bitter

You murdered that Picanha.

I'm a fan. You are a master, man! 🤝🏻🙂

Hey max how do you like the campchef pellet grill ? I couldnt help but notice 😅

I love it how u make your Videos With the Jokes and the memes i just love it keep It up :3

Max the type of guy to float in the air while smelling pie

Smoke the whole picanha super low (Below 225) to an internal of 110 - cut into steaks with the grain - throw steaks on super hot charcoal fire to finish. Little smokey, super beefy, very tender - just about the perfect steak.

Guga! Let's Go!

Also the pointy sword is called an "espeto", literal translation to english would be a skewer. An Iron Skewer. Anyways, great video as always Max.

I think cooking picanha like a brisket might not be the best of ideas, since picanha itself is already tender. I think you ought to cook it in half the time you normally would cook a brisket. The steak picanha isn’t that bad of an idea but that’s only if the picanha is the only cut of beef you’ve got left that can be cooked as a steak. Definitely have to hand it to the Brazilians on this one, because that really is a method you can’t go wrong with. Nevertheless, still a very interesting video. Thanks for sharing, Max.

You can smoke a tri-tip like a brisket as well.

I've smoked over 15 picanhas, and the best way is to smoke low and slow further away from the fire as possible, until 130-135F - around 3 hours or so. That way there is enough time to get the smoke, and still be in the medium rare side of things, plus with the cap side down, the fat renders enough to be juicy as it can be. It is the best of both worlds IMO.

Yeah Max, with just one video you summoned an entire country, welcome to Brazil

The churrasco sword is called "espeto"

If found that when I'm using cast iron for picanha, I like to cut off a small bit of the fat cap and render it down to grease the pan, that way the beef is cooking in beef fat. Plus, it gives a nice flavor if I'm searing my potatoes or other veggies in the same pan.

In Brazil we rock Salt only fire. On pan we use regular salt or we season after its done

Oh damn bro, you actually called him this time, mad respect

when cooking churrasco style, do they actually cook it all the way through on the first pass over the fire? or do they cook it so the first few seasoned cuts are to temp then it goes back and gets reseasoned and refired?

it is like i influence the world, a day ago I searched picanha on youtube, and now he made a video about it.

When he said that this was uncharted territory, I was literally thinking "Just ask Guga" and then just like that, he appears! 😂

You can also do it whole in a skewer. Takes around 1h. You don't fully cook them when doing it the ¨traditional¨ way, you just slice the browned part and put it back in the fire. We don't eat chimichurri in a traditional brazilian churrasco.

Max the typ of guy to say "now a silly one" when taking pics with friends

Max, in Brazil, commonly we use just with no seasoned rock salt.

in Brazil we sear the picanha before slicing in stakes

As a former butcher (for Whole Foods) I have to say a few things: 'Australian Wagyu' is silly. 'Wagyu' literally means 'Japanese Cow'. Any other type of 'Wagyu' is ALWAYS the byproduct of a Wagyu Cow having been bred with another cow. Generally speaking, it's usually Angus. But It's Angus that was bred with a Wagyu Cow 40 years ago. So it's the 'Great - grandchild of a 'half Wagyu' cow. Japan severely limits the amount of Wagyu Beef that they export' That's why a 1/5 pound A5 Wagyu Ribeye costs over $100. You're cutting the meat with the wrong knife. A 'Chef's' knife is for cutting things down right before they are being cooked. Butchers use longer knives to trim meat. The reason being that you can start at the base of the blade and cut all the way across the meat in one cut. When you start 'sawing' you make the meat look ugly and unappetizing. Long Knife = one long cut = good looking meat. Also, there shouldn't be any silver skin on the cap. There might be some on the bottom of the remaining meat but not the cap. The best way to tell the difference is that you can't cut through silver skin. Well, you can, but it's very difficult. If you can cut it with no problem, then it's not silver skin. What you cut off the cap is just 'tissue'. Silver skin is the stuff you trim off a tenderloin, it's extremely hard to cut through it with even the sharpest knife. What you cut off that cap will either melt or be insubstantial in terms of eating the meat. In fact, even the silver skin on the remaining meat is usually ignored when butchering. It's just too much of a hassle trying to get it out.

Aren't we gonna talk about the fact that max's phone case is a marbled steak?

I love picanha, it's my go to steak however the amount of grease fires you kick up cooking over charcoal or gas can be scary. Another way to prepare it that I've had rave reviews for is smoking a whole picanha but at a slightly higher temp but to rare, so it's more like rare roast beef.

I’m glad to see Max is SLAPPING the steaks now haha

Yall need to do a colab again soon :)

bro was like its the queen its tender its juicy

max make a turducken 293rd like

It’s 3:49 am and I’m eating a butter and peanut butter sandwich cause you make me hungry

3:07 lol